Deadlock
by KaseyAnn
Summary: Posy, with her one slip out of thousands, is reaped, and the odds further betray the Hawthornes, because Vick goes into the Games with her. AU, alternate reaping. Katniss/Gale
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

* * *

_The walls start breathing, my mind's unweaving._

_It Ends Tonight, The All-American Rejects_

* * *

"You'll be fine, Pose, alright? You only have one slip."

Posy nods at Gale's words, knowing that the odds are in her favor. She still can't help but tremble a bit, anyway, because aren't all twelve year olds nervous at their first reaping? Over the years, Gale's attitude has rubbed off on all of his younger siblings, and so Posy prides herself on her tough exterior. And she hates that the Capitol is the one thing that can get under her skin.

"Are you ready, Posy?" Hazelle appears in the doorway. "Vick and Rory are waiting outside with the Everdeens."

"Yeah," Posy says. She smoothes down the dress she's wearing, a faded purple hand-me-down from Prim.

"Well, let's get going then," Hazelle says, trying to sound cheerful, but Posy sees right through her. Another child eligible for the reaping, another six years to worry about. This year is Vick's last reaping, while everyone else is now working. Gale and Rory in the mines, Katniss hunting, and Prim helping her mother.

"What about Vick?" Posy whispers as they head out the door. She looks up to Gale to see his expression harden.

"We'll just have to hope for the best, won't we?"

Vick has twenty three slips in the reaping bowl instead of the required seven. He took four extra slips for tesserae when he was fifteen because of a drought, and continued to take out the same amount of extra slips every year after, much to Gale's anger. But even though no one wanted him to take out tesserae, everyone knew they had no choice. Even with Rory and Gale working in the mines, and with Katniss hunting, it still wasn't enough to support everyone.

Outside, Katniss is leaning slightly on Prim, who had surprised everyone by shooting up until she was a good four inches taller than Katniss. The height difference only adds to the oddity of the pair. Katniss with her Seam look and petite size, and Prim's blond hair and willowy frame. Mrs. Everdeen looks a bit lost like she always does on reaping days, but it's a drastic improvement from the way she was up until five or six years ago. With the help of a depression remedy Prim found in the plant book, Mrs. Everdeen slowly healed, and only had the occasional relapse on significant days.

"Hey, Catnip," Gale says, looking the slightest bit cheerful for the first time since morning. Katniss scowls at him, but it soon turns into a barely concealed smile, despite what day it is.

"I'll take care of Posy. You go ahead with Katniss," Hazelle says quietly from behind Gale.

Posy hates the way they still talk about her like she's an infant, but she supposes that's what happens when you're the youngest in the family. Hazelle holds onto Posy's hand as Gale goes to stand by Katniss. Lately, even though Katniss would never admit it, her growing belly has been causing her to tire out quickly, and she usually ends up having to lean on someone for support on walks. Being as stubborn as she is, she'll only let that person be Gale and sometimes Prim.

As soon as everyone arrives at the town square, the old clock on the Justice Building reads one, so Posy is quickly handed off to Vick. He drops her off at the twelve year old girls' section with one last, "Don't worry, Pose."

The mayor stands up from his place on the stage and walks towards the podium to give the same speech he's been giving for years now. About the Dark Days and an obliterated District Thirteen, how the Hunger Games are some twisted way to make Panem a better place. Posy's heartbeat is in her ears, so loud that she can barely make out a word of it.

Effie Trinket, the district escort at all of Gale's reapings, had presumably been moved up to another district a few years back. In her place is Serina Glow, an even more irritatingly cheerful person than Effie. Serina bounces up to the microphone after the mayor takes his seat, her aqua-colored curls swaying.

"Welcome to the 81st Annual Reaping," she says jubilantly. "Time to choose the two lucky ones who will get to represent your district in this year's Hunger Games." Wasting no time, she smiles and starts to walk over to the bowl full of girls' names.

"As usual, ladies first," she says, before plunging her manicured hands into the selection of names. The whole district seems to draw in a collective breath, their eyes transfixed on the bowl.

After a few heartbeats, she announces, "Posy Hawthorne!"

All of the other girls exhale at the same time, while Posy stops breathing altogether for a moment. Then the terror hits her so suddenly that she has to fight the immediate urge to double over. Trying to anchor herself, she stares at Serina's hair which now looks too bright to exist. Her mind fogs over as everyone surrounding her slowly turns to look at her. They wear looks of pity on their faces, but relief shines clearly in their eyes.

Just as Posy takes one shaky step forward, she hears some yell her name. Gale. She glances back to see him weaving his way through the crowd. Some people part to let him through, while others try to stop him, knowing that what he's doing is futile. The fog clears slightly and Posy takes another step, then one more, until she's making steady progress towards the stage.

Gale meets her halfway, immediately wrapping his arms around her tightly. She hears Peacekeepers coming towards them, the sound muffled by Gale's shirt.

"Gale, let go," Posy says, pushing at his chest. Her voice comes out shaky, which only makes him grip her tighter. "Please, Gale, there's nothing you can do-"

She suddenly feels someone grab her sides to try to pry her out of Gale's arms. Posy feels herself resisting them on instinct. She hears Gale yell at the Peacekeepers, and a few seconds later she's falling backwards, Gale having been pulled away by several other Peacekeepers.

"Posy!" He reaches out for her. It takes every single fiber of her being to turn away from him and walk towards the stairs.

"Posy! Get the hell out of my way, you-"

Posy clenches her fists and stomps up the steps quickly. She walks briskly past the mayor and his daughter, past the empty seat that was reseved for the absent Haymitch Abernathy, and takes her place by Serina. She stares blankly into the crowd.

She vaguely senses Serina moving across the stage and towards the boys' bowl. Serina says something, but it doesn't catch Posy's attention until she thinks she hears Vick's name. Posy looks at Serina, and sure enough, there's a slip in her hand reading Vick Hawthorne. Posy thinks that it can't be real, this is too big of a coincidence, but when she hears Gale yelling in rage again, and spots Rory angrily shoving his way through the crowd, and sees her mother leaning on Mrs. Everdeen with her face down, she knows that it's all real, somehow.

After an initial moment of shock, Vick wastes no time emerging from the eighteen year old boys' section and climbing the stairs to the stage. Rory is three quarters of the way to the stage when the Peacekeepers pull him away.

When Vick is on the stage with Posy and she is swept into his arms, the only thing she can manage to say is, "You told me not to worry." He laughes, but he was never quite as good at hiding his emotion as Gale, and the sound comes out forced and shaky.

"A round of applause for our tributes!" Serina says, trying not to let the scene in front of her bother her.

A low rumble starts in the crowd, but dies out when the Peacekeepers raise their guns. The citizens of District Twelve become deadly silent and show the largest form of dissent they can manage. Starting with Prim and Katniss, everyone slowly touches the last three fingers of their left hand to their lips and holds it out to the pair on the stage. Posy recognizes the sign as the one they sometimes use at funerals. It's saying farewell to someone you love, and Posy knows it's not to be taken lightly. She wonders what she and Vick ever did to deserve this kind of respect.

The mayor stands up and replaces a bewildered Serina at the podium. He clears his throat a few times before opening his mouth and launching into the Treaty of Treason. Another speech Posy has nearly memorized. When the time for the customary handshake between tributes comes, he looks at Posy's crumpling face and Vick's arms protectively around her, and ends up signalling with trembling hands for the Peacekeepers to lead them to the Justice Building.

* * *

**(A/N) Hope you enjoyed :) I** **know the idea's a bit odd, but tell me what you guys think**.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

_To the sound of a heartbeat pounding away._

_Re-education, Rise Against_

* * *

Posy and Vick make slow progress down the Justice Building's hall, Peacekeepers standing at their backs and watching their every movement.

"Stop," one of them commands gruffly, opening a door to their right. He taps Vick's shoulder. "That's your assigned room."

"Posy and I can share it," Vick says, holding Posy's hand and starting towards the entrance.

"Sir, I know you're siblings, but protocol says-"

"_I_ say that we're going to say our goodbyes in the same room."

"I don't want to start a problem, so if you'd please just go into-"

"Hey! What's wrong over here?" A new voice interrupts the Peacekeeper. Vick turns to see another person approaching them. Darius. Gale told Vick and Rory once that you can never fully trust the redheaded guy, but he's a good person, as far as Peacekeepers go.

"They'd like to say their goodbyes in the same room," someone tells Darius.

Darius waves him off. "Let them. What difference does it make?"

No one argues. In the nine or so years Darius has been a Peacekeeper, he's gained authority among the younger recruits. On his trips to the Hob with Katniss, Vick has heard that Darius is going to be promoted to District Seven soon, making this year his last in Twelve.

Vick tugs lightly on Posy's arm, and Darius steps to the front and opens the door for them.

"I'm so sorry, kid," Darius says in a low voice as Vick passes by him. Vick looks back and thinks he sees regret, of all things, on Darius's expression. The door closes.

Posy walks straight to one of the plush armchairs and collapses onto it, while Vick wanders around the room, taking in all of the decorations. Passing by the sole window, he reaches out and touches the curtains hanging in front of it. Actual silk. The curtains by themselves could probably feed a family for two months. He shakes his head, contemplating sitting down when their mother bursts through the door, followed by Rory.

"Gale?" Vick asks.

"He wanted to come in alone," Hazelle replies. Vick nods, and from the chair beside him, Posy jumps up and runs into their mother's arms.

Hazelle pulls away from Posy after a few, long moments, her eyes watery. Vick, not knowing what else to do, opens his arms for his mother, and she clutches him.

"My two youngest," she whispers shakily. There's a long momemt of silence before Hazelle pulls away, and she has to crane her neck to look directly at Vick. "Take care of each other, alright? That's all I can ask of you." She averts her gaze then, swipes at her eyes and holds Posy, who's started trembling.

A heavy silence settles over the room, wrapping itself around Vick and prodding at his heart. He wants to scream and take Posy and run into the woods like Gale had talked about doing sometimes. Vick hates the weight that's suddenly on his shoulders, because he knows that he has to bring Posy back home from the Games. There is no other choice. Her life's completely in his hands, because although Posy's a fighter, there's little skill behind her exterior. No one's gotten around to taking her hunting yet, and the only thing she has basic knowledge in is healing, gleaned from sitting around with Prim at home all of the time.

"No strategy talk?" Vick asks lightly Rory, disrupting the quiet. He knows their allotted time is coming to a close.

"That's Gale's job," Rory replies. He hesitates, and then pulls his younger brother into a hug. "Stay safe, both of you."

A Peacekeeper knocks on the door, and suddenly Hazelle becomes frantic, pulling Posy even closer to herself, and reaching a hand out to Vick. Once he's grasped it, she says, "Remember, I love you both so, so much." She squeezes Vick's hand, eyes shining. "Your father would be so, so proud of how you two have turned out to be."

"Ma'am, your time's up," the Peacekeeper says, opening the door and coming in.

Hazelle looks back at him. "Just one more minute, please-"

"You have to go now," he says firmly, stepping forward.

Rory takes Posy in his arms and swings her around once before pulling her close and tapping her nose. "You'll be alright Posy, okay? You'll both be alright."

The Peacekeeper comes closer and pries Posy away from him, setting her down on the ground and grabbing Rory's arm. "You and your mother have to-"

"No, just one more min-" Hazelle starts, but the Peacekeeper roughly pulls her out of the room, another one coming in to force Rory out. The heavy door slams shut, and only a few seconds pass when the door bursts open again, and Gale comes in.

Never having been an overly sentimental person, Gale gets right to the point. "Listen, both of you have to stick together. At all times in the Arena. You got me?"

Vick opens his mouth, about to say that does Gale really think he would leave Posy all alone, but Gale goes right on, not leaving any time for comments.

"Vick, you can hunt, right?"

He nods even though it's a rhetorical question. "But, Gale-"

"Find wire or rope or anything to make snares with, and hopefully there'll be some animals around for you to catch. If not, just use them for protection," Gale says, his expression darkening.

Vick doesn't like to think of the fact that he might have to kill other kids.

"Stay away from the Cornucopia. You'll be killed in seconds. As soon as the gong sounds, just get the hell out of there."

He crouches down to Posy's level and wraps his arms around her, forcing a smile onto his lips. "Stay strong, both of you, alright?"

He stoops down and kisses Posy softly on the head. "Love you, Pose." Posy wraps her arms around his stomach, and Vick looks on from the side.

He stands up and hugs Vick briefly. "You'll both be alright."

That's the second time in five minutes that someone's told Vick that lie.

"Time's up, sir." The Peacekeeper comes in, ready to force Gale out the door.

"Remember what I said, Vick." And he's gone.

This time, Posy and Vick get a few moment to collect themselves before the Everdeens come to visit them.

Prim undoes Posy's braid, brushing it out with her fingers, and then redoes it, making it more elaborate. Mrs. Everdeen perches on the edge of an armchair, not talking. Katniss repeats most of what Gale said to Vick, rephrasing some things and adding a few sentences, but keeping the same basic ideas. Prim refreshes Posy on how to identify different healing herbs and edible plants. Their time is up quickly and Prim and Katniss hug both of them, trying and failing to reassure them.

"Show them how good you are," Katniss says to Vick, and leaves them with that.

The rest of their visitors are all a blur of faces and sorrys, ranging from people who know them in the Seam and the mayor's daughter. The baker's youngest son, Peeta Mellark, even stops by, leaving Posy a packet of frosted sugar cookies. Two Hawthornes having been reaped at the same time seems to have caused quite a stir in the district, maybe not because everyone particularly cares about Vick and Posy themselves, but because it's left people wondering how the hell this happened, and it's left them even more afraid, because siblings getting reaped is now an all-too-real possibility.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

_Bite that lip 'cause your tongue is a gun and your brain is the trigger._

_We Bring An Arsenal, Lostprophets_

* * *

The sky is bright blue and spotted with cottony clouds when Gale steps out of the Justice Building, completely contradicting the storm inside of him, and he wishes the sky would just turn black and start pouring on him.

"Gale."

He hears Katniss say his name softly from somewhere off to his left, and he turns to find her standing against the building's exterior.

"Why didn't you go with the others?" he asks, the overly protective part of him not wanting her to be left alone, even if she's perfectly capable of holding her own ground.

"Hazelle, she was...," Katniss trails off, looking away. "I told Prim I'd get some meat from home with you. Rory asked us to come over at your family's house."

Along with Katniss not being able to deal with upset people very well, Gale also knows that these days looking at someone crying might set her off, too, and there's almost nothing she would hate more than that. Gale reaches for her hand and they twine their fingers together, Katniss squeezing lightly once in an attempt to comfort him.

Gale's head is still pulsing in anger and disbelief as they enter the Seam and walk around all of the people outside, sitting around or taking a walk in silent celebration. He doesn't miss how people whisper as they pass by, trying hard not to stare at him and Katniss and mumbling about the unfairness of it all to each other. They pass by the Hawthornes' house, where the shutters are already closed, and a minute later they arrive at the little home they've been living in for the past three years.

Gale gets to the door first, pushing it open and holding it for Katniss, who doesn't bother scowling at him like she always does at the gesture. Gale immediately senses something amiss with her. As she heads into the small kitchen and stiffly takes out meat from the icebox, Gale watches, his swirling mind clearing enough to ask her what's wrong.

"Nothing," Katniss mumbles. She picks up the three squirrels she selected and puts them on the counter, looking around for her game bag.

Gale moves towards her. "Catnip, really-"

Katniss spins around, her face flushed, and Gale is taken aback to see tears in her eyes. He immediately softens and reaches out towards her. She moves out of his arms.

"Dis you see what happened today, Gale?" she asks tensely. Gale's muscles tighten.

"Of-"

"I finally thought that maybe we would be safe, that nothing would happen to us, but it did." The angry part of Gale wants to ask how the hell that this was his fault, as if he'd ever freaking want what happened to happen, but she continues before he can get a word in.

"So how can you know that our baby will be safe?" Her voice breaks at the end, and she tries and fails to cover it by coughing.

He flails for an answer. "It'll be fi-"

"Don't tell me it'll be fine, Gale!" She's yelling now, and he winces when he sees her voice is choked up with tears. "You can't guarantee it'll be fine! Not after all of this!"

"Catnip," he whispers, wrapping his arms around her. She becomes stiff.

"I never," she says, her shouting muffled by Gale's shirt. "I never should've let you convince me. I knew I should never had children."

"Don't say that," Gale says, pulling away slightly.

"But we have such a messed up life, Gale," Katniss argues angrily. "You saw what happened today. We'll be putting this child through reaping after reaping, we'll be putting ourselves through six more reapings, basically. What's the point of it all, Gale? Isn't that exactly what the Capitol wants? More eligible children? Well, guess what? We're giving it to them!" She pushes him roughly in the chest, and he backs up a step.

"I don't know," Gale says quietly. "I don't know what to think anymore."

They stare at each other for a few minutes, and this time they both go crashing into each other's arms, Katniss's silent tears staining Gale's shirt.

* * *

Vick and Posy stand in the train's entryway, hordes of cameras greedily taking in their images. Posy stays safely tucked inside Vick's arms, and he only lets go of her once they're seated inside of the train, despite Posy's protests. The train had started moving as soon as the doors closed, the sudden burst of speed almost causing Posy to tumble over. She thinks she hears Vick mumble that they're probably moving at 270 miles per hour. They'll be at the Capitol in less than a day.

Serina is changed into a different outfit for the train ride, a silky aqua dress that matches her hair and coordinating heels. She takes Posy by the hand and heads towards a door at the back of the train car they're currently in. Serina slides it open and gestures for Vick to follow them. "I'll show you two your rooms."

Serina leads them to a door with Posy's name written on it first. The room inside is plush and entirely too extravagant. Soft carpeting, a spacious bathroom, and a dresser full of clothes in Posy's size. Posy goes through some of the stacks of shirts and dresses with Serina looking on. She unfolds all of the pink clothes she comes across, admiring them until she suddenly drops them as if she's been shocked. Remembering exactly where this train is taking her, all of the colors begin nauseate her and she mumbles, "I think I'll go splash some water on my face."

"Well, why don't you just take a shower, dear? That'll freshen you up," Serina replies, gesturing towards the bathroom.

"O-oh, okay," she says. Bathing in District 12 is a scheduled task, and no one can afford to suddenly get up and decide they'll take a bath, forget a shower.

"We'll leave you alone then, alright? Just come to the dining car at five. Haymitch'll meet you two there."

"How considerate of him," Vick says bitterly. "I bet he'll also be all boozed up for our lovely meeting."

"I guess we should get-" Serina starts uncomfortably, but Vick interrupts.

"Wait." He walks over and pushes open the bathroom door, looking inside as if he expects to find a monster there, ready to gobble Posy up. Serina watches him with disbelief.

Posy shakes her head, rolling her eyes. She's often faced little episodes like these growing up. All three of her older brothers have always been overprotective when it comes to her; checking her meat for any hidden bones before she eats it, not letting her go out on her own.

Vick and Serina leave the bedroom after a few moments, and Posy opens up one of the dresser's drawers again, picking out the first pink shirt she can find along with simple pants. She heads into the bathroom and peels off Prim's old dress, carefully folding it and putting it on the vanity. As she steps out of her shoes and finally gets a good look at the shower, she realizes that none of the buttons are marked, and she has no idea how to use it.

After staring at the selection of buttons with creased eyebrows for a few moments, she randomly pushes one, and almost screams when cocoa-scented foam comes flying at her. She cautiously presses another button, which to her relief, turns on the water.

Once she steps outside of the shower, quiet dryers turn on automatically, blowing out her long hair and taking out tangles that would've taken her a good half hour to tame with a comb. She dresses quickly and heads into the bedroom, taking her reaping clothes with her.

For a while, she just lays on the bed, bunching the sheets in her hand and trying to make herself believe that she's actually on a train, and that she's actually heading to the Capitol. The reality still hasn't fully hit her like she thought it would. Her mind wanders and she starts to think of home and what everyone would be doing right now on a normal day. Gale and Rory would be at the mines, and her mother might be doing laundry, or maybe tidying up a merchant's backyard. Katniss could be hunting, but considering her physical condition lately, she would probably be at home, attempting to cook a decent meal for Gale.

Before she upsets herself too much, Posy pushes herself off of the bed and decides to try out the small device on her bedside table. She turns the dial on it, and to her surprise, the wall to her right changes into a moving scene of snowy mountains. With another twist of the dial, the scene is now a lakeside view. She keeps changing the scene until she lands on a panorama of a field, and she immediately recognizes it as the Meadow, the only place besides the woods worth consideration in District 12.

Warm memories of playing there afterschool with Vick and Rory flood her mind, and she turns the device off quickly.

"Forget it," she mumbles.

The door cracks open, and Posy turns around to see Vick standing there, his jaw set.

"Come on, Pose. Our mentor's waiting for us."

* * *

Six plates of lukewarm food sit on the Hawthornes' table, forks and spoons prodding at the meat. Everyone is lost in their own thoughts, faces shadowed and the silence disrupted only by the occasional creak or clattering. Eventually, Prim gets up out of her chair and starts to quietly collect everyone's untouched portions, Rory standing up to help her.

"Gale, why don't you get some sheets and lay them out in the living room?"

No one argues, and an agreement to spend the night at the Hawthornes' is made just like that.

Gale fetches the sheets and Hazelle and Mrs Everdeen work together to arrange them on the floor. When they decide it'll be comfortable enough, Rory immediately plops down, laying down and closing his eyes. Gale tosses him a cushion from the sofa, and instead of catching it, Rory lets it hit his side.

Gale touches Katniss's shoulder. She looks up at him, silently telling him that she'll be fine on the floor, but he shakes his head ever so slightly, and she slumps, letting him lead her into Hazelle's room. For the first time ever, she lets Gale baby her and he tucks her into bed, planting a kiss on her forehead before telling her to wake him up if anything happens. She rolls her eyes at that, shifting so that's she's facing away from him.

"You and your moodswings," he mutters. Katniss turns back around to stick her tongue out at him. Prim comes in a moment later, settling herself in next to her sister.

Gale goes back out and lays down next to Rory, who's pretending to sleep, and he stares at the ceiling for a good two hours before drifting off.

* * *

"So these are the tributes for this year," Haymitch says, looking at Posy and Vick from over a tall glass of water. "I heard you're siblings." He takes a giant gulp from his drink before adding, "How tragic."

"Missed you at the reaping," Vick shoots back. "Guess you didn't care enough to show up. Or maybe you were just too drunk."

Posy glances at her brother uneasily, and Haymitch's eyes narrow for a moment, but he quickly recovers.

"He has a liver surgery tomorrow," Serina chimes in. "No alcohol allowed for twenty-four hours beforehand."

"Poor you," Vick says sarcastically to Haymitch. "At least you're not being shipped to your death."

This strikes a chord with Haymitch. "I've already been through the Games, boy," he says darkly.

"Then maybe you should care enough to help us out."

"Want some advice? Stay alive," Haymitch replies, and bursts out laughing.

Vick grits his teeth, reaching for the knife at his place setting and wrapping his fingers around it. "You're hilarious," he manages to get out, and flings the knife straight at Haymitch's head. Serina gasps and covers her eyes.

Haymitch's eyes go wide and he pushes his seat back and ducks his head, the knife barely missing its target. It sails in a straight line and sticks in the wall behind him.

"Fiesty one, aren't you?" Haymitch says, recovering. Serina cautiously opens her eyes, opening her mouth to scold Vick, but Haymitch cuts her off with a wave of his hand.

"Stand up, both of you."

Posy looks to Vick for guidance, while Vick stares straight ahead at Haymitch in disbelief.

"You heard me," Haymitch says easily.

Slowly, Vick rises out of his seat, Posy mirroring him. Haymitch gestures for them to come closer and they do, standing side by side. Haymitch hands Vick another knife.

"Throw it."

Vick does, and the knife lodges itself in a window's seam.

"Those windows are made out of the finest-" Serina starts, looking shocked, but Haymitch interrupts.

"Not bad."

"Haymitch, don't you see the windows? This is bad for my reputation, I-" Serina says, and Haymitch ignores her.

He looks over Vick. "You'll be a favorite with the ladies. Good for sponsors." Vick clenches his fist, but stays quiet. The games are no beauty contest, but better-looking tributes always pull more sponsors. "Got any other skills?"

"I can hunt. My aim's okay with a bow and arrows, but I'm good with snares."

Haymitch nods, his attention turning to Posy. "Pretty little girl, aren't you? Do you have any hidden talents?"

"I'm good with plants," Posy says boldly, looking Haymitch straight in the eye. "Edible shoots, healing herbs, I can find them." Haymitch looks a bit taken aback, as of he didn't expect Posy to actually answer. Slowly, a smile spreads across his face.

"I can work with this. I'll help you two, but you'll have to do exactly as I say. Tomorrow, when you're in the hands of your stylists, don't resist anything they do to you. You probably won't like it, but they're there to help you," Haymitch tells Vick.

"Help us? Have you seen District 12 in the opening parades?" Vick asks, images of people with lamps on their heads and coal-dust covered bodies coming to mind.

"Like I said, just go along with it."

Serina sighes loudly as the first course of their dinner; thick tomato soup with large bowls of salad, comes. Everyone stops talking to eat, Posy and Vick practically stuffing themselves, much to Serina's annoyance. She looks like she's about to say something a few times, but decides not to, probably knowing her attempts will be futile.

More plates keeping coming, some with real, seasoned beef, others with twenty different types of cheeses. Vick hasn't seen this much food in his life, an even though Serina keeps telling him there's more to come, he eats everything, not leaving one dish untasted. Posy starts turning green after her third full plate, while Vick makes it all the way to desert, sampling some of the carrot cake they've laid out.

Haymitch doesn't comment on their eating, while Serina looks absolutely disgusted and does a horrible job of hiding it. Vick pretends not to see her. She probably has the choice of eating all of this food everyday, while Vick can't remember the last time his stomach was actually full.

"Let's go to our rooms, Pose," he says.

"The reaping recaps are coming on, but I guess you could watch them right after breakfast tomorrow," Serina says. Vick nods and helps a nauseous Posy all the way to her bed.

The second Vick lays down on his bed, he falls asleep, far too exhausted and full for even his thoughts to keep him awake.

* * *

(A/N)

Thanks so much to anyone who reviewed or read this story. I'm sorry I haven't gotten around to replying to everyone's reviews individually yet, but I'll try to sometime in the next week. I'm working on my phone right now since I'm on vacation.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

* * *

_Do you know the enemy? Do you know your enemy?_

_Know Your Enemy, Green Day_

* * *

Posy opens her sleep-blurred eyes to see someone with green skin and blue nails standing over her. She rolls over onto her side, ignoring the whoever it is for a moment before doing a double-take and screaming, suddenly wide awake.

"Oh, sorry to startle you, dear," Serina says, her outstretched hand retreating. "I wanted to let you know that breakfast is already on the table."

Posy jolts up in bed, blinking a few times to clear her vision. Her thudding heart slows when she realizes Serina just has some sort of mint-colored cream on her face. There's no strange creature waiting to eat her. Although, maybe Serina does classify as a strange creature, but probably not one that'll gobble her up.

"I'll be there in a few minutes," she tells Serina, sliding off the bed.

"I'll go wake up your brother then."

"I wonder how he'll react," Posy mumbles.

"Me too," Serina replies, hearing Posy's words, and winking at her before exiting. That gets a smile out of Posy. Maybe Serina isn't a total airhead; though there's still much emphasis on the total.

Posy just splashes her face with water and cleans her teeth, since her clothes are clean enough, although wrinkled. She slips on her shoes and heads towards the dining car, bumping into Vick halfway there.

"Crazy woman," he mutters after saying good morning. "Scared me half to death."

Posy can't help but grin.

They arrive at the dining car to see Serina already seated at the table, delicately eating some sort of pastry with berries, the green cream washed off her skin. Posy turns to the side to see a long table set up with at least twenty different options for breakfast.

"Help yourself," Serina says with a wave of her arm. Vick takes a plate from the end of the table and starts to load it up, with Posy right behind him.

"We'll be in the Capitol in about an hour," Serina tells them as soon as they're seated. Vick ignores her, taking a tentative sip from a mug set in front of him. He makes a face once the liquid goes down his throat, handing the mug to Posy.

"Hot chocolate," Serina pipes up. "It might taste a bit too sweet if you're not used to it." Posy tries a bit and brightens up instantly, downing the whole thing in a couple of gulps.

"So where's Haymitch?" Vick asks, pushing away his now-empty plate.

"Probably sleeping," Serina replies. "They told him not to have breakfast today. The surgery requires an empty stomach."

Posy thinks of how much alcohol Haunitch probably consumes in a day, given his condition at most of the reapings, and wonders how powerful the Capitol's technology must be to heal someone like him's liver. Why waste the effort on old drunks like him? She knows so many children who have died from different strains of the flu or a bad cough. Don't they deserve to be healed? Then again, what does the Capitol care? Here she is, in their hands, her death only a week or so away. It's all so unbelievably unfair.

"Hurry up, now. You two still have the reaping recaps to watch," Serina trills. Posy looks down at her half-empty plate, appetite gone.

"I'm done."

Serina leads them to yet another car on the train, this one with plush sofas and a TV screen that takes up a full wall. She dims the lights and tells Vick and Posy to make themselves comfortable before sitting down herself.

"Play reaping recaps," she says aloud. The TV turns on without a noise, and automatically starts playing the video.

Posy doesn't pay much attention to the tributes, while Vick is observing them raptly. The most notable tributes are the vicious-looking pair from District 1, another twelve year old from District 5, and a volunteer from District 10, which is almost as uncommon as volunteers are in District 12. The rest aren't particularly well-built, except for the other Careers besides District 1. Posy looks over to Vick and thinks that he stands a good chance physically, with his over-six-foot frame and lean muscle gained from hunting.

Then the District 12 recap comes on, and Posy watches as her name is called, she relives those few moments before she climbed the stage, she hears Gale shout and sees the Peacekeepers hold him back. She's relieved, though, to see that she looks steely on the stage, and not all quivery and shaky like she thought she was.

Posy hears Vick inhale as his name is called, and she glances at him before turning her attention to the screen. There's determination in his every step to the stage, and a fierce look in his eyes when the cameras pan to his face. On the stage, Posy watches Vick sweep her into his arms, and the broadcast is cut off there. District 12's departing gesture is not shown, and by the way Vick huffs Posy knows this was expected. Signs of rebellion, no matter how small, are not tolerated.

* * *

Gale and Rory have two days off in honor of the reaping, and being the ever-practical people, they sling their gamebags over their shoulders and head out to the woods early in the morning, before Katniss can wake up and insist she come along. The whole district seems to be in a state of temporary peace as Gale and Vick walk through it, and they blend into the scene with their silent footsteps.

Once they're on the other side of the fence, they tread quietly to 'the meeting place', as everyone refers to it now, since it doesn't really belong to only Gale and Katniss anymore. Rory goes straight for the hollow log where the bows and arrows are kept, and slings his usual bow over his shoulder before joining Gale. They start on the snare line, that's been altered too many times to count over the years, and now stretches deep into the woods, much farther than Gale and Katniss ever went when they were teens.

Rory treads ahead of Gale, eyes and ears open for any signs of movement. They'll have to stock up in these precious two days, since Vick won't be around to hold everything together. Something flickers in his periphery, and he automatically notches an arrow and shoots. He walks over to inspect his kill, and sees that he got the squirrel right in its chest. A clean shot. Although he'll never be as good at shooting as Katniss, or even Vick, Rory's always been better at it than Gale.

A half hour has passed when they make it halfway through the snare line, and Rory only has one additional squirrel in his gamebag, and Gale's bag contains two rabbits. Not bad by any means- there have been worse days- but it's still disappointing. And the forest is too quiet.

"There's something wrong, isn't there?"

Gale glances up at his brother. "Don't be stupid. It's just a lazy day."

But he sounds as if he doesn't believe his own words.

* * *

Darkness envelopes the train as it enters a tunnel, that cuts through the natural mountain barrier surrounding the Capitol. All of the districts' children have been told time and time again that these mountains are one of the main reasons the rebels lost the war during the Dark Days, because many of them were killed trying to breech them.

"We're nearly there," Serina says excitedly.

Posy expects the tunnel to end after a few minutes, but it stretches on and on and she can't help but think of all that rock over their heads. But she's not as bothered by it as Vick, who actually has memories of their father, who died in total darkness and surrounded by coal. When light finally floods the train, he exhales loudly, and Posy is immediately drawn to the windows. Vick follows after her, somewhat reluctantly.

"Look at it," she breathes against the glass. The Capitol is shining, gleaming, with metallic buildings rising high into clean, dust-free air. Eccentrically dressed people are standing in giant hordes of color, pointing excitedly at Posy and Vick, their mouths moving and hands waving. Posy tentatively raises a hand and waves back, her eyes wide as they continue to take in the scene in front of her.

"Well, District 12's arrival usually doesn't have much of a crowd." Haymitch's voice comes from behind them. "You two have caused quite the stir."

"Finally woke up?" Vick asks, not looking back.

"Couldn't even sleep," Haymitch replies breezily. The train comes to a gentle stop and Haymitch exits through a back door without another word, outside of which a sleek car is already waiting for him, probably to transport him to his surgery.

Serina nudges Posy and Vick. "Our ride's waiting out that door. Go on. And try to smile, Vick, won't you?"

Vick holds Posy's hand and they walk quickly down a sectioned-off path, Serina struggling to keep up in her heels. Posy waves shyly a few times to the crowd, dizzied by the sudden attention. Vick doesn't bother with trying to muster up a smile and keeps his expression neutral.

Vick opens the vehicle's door for Posy and slides in after, keeping the door propped open for Serina. Once she's seated, she tells them, "They're going to drop me off at the Training Center and you two at the Remake Center. Like Haymitch said, just don't resist anything they do to you."

This second ride is short, and in no time Vick and Posy are being ushered into the Remake Center, Serina waving good-bye to them. Vick and Posy are hustled off into their own little rooms with their trios of Capitol people.

"I'm Laena," a woman with lavender hair says. Posy can barely understand her through her accent. Laena gestures to the other woman standing by, who's dressed in orange from head to toe. "She's Seph," she acknowledges the man with powder blue skin with a nod in his direction, "and he's Ransel". They're all fairly young from the sound of their voices, since their appearances obviously can't be trusted to tell their ages, what with the obsession with looking young in the Capitol.

Seph comes over to Posy, helping her out of her clothes and into a thin robe. She stands in the center of her prep team self-consciously while they circle her, taking in her appearance.

"Such a beautiful little girl. Must run in the family," Laena says lightly, but the way the others nod in agreement make Posy think she's at least half serious. Laena turns to the rest of the team. "Let's get started, then."

The next two hours may be some of the worst in Posy's life. They scrub down Posy's body using a soap with little beads in it that sting her skin, rinse her off with warm water, and repeat the process until she's pink. Seph then gets to work in her bitten-down nails, snipping and filing until they're perfectly shaped and healthy-looking. Ransel, armed with a pair of tweezers, plucks at her eyebrows, making Posy wince every few seconds. They then put some sort of cream on Posy's arms and legs that takes off all of the hair on them. At the very end, they brush out her hair and cut the split ends off, pulling it up into a tight ponytail that makes Posy's head throb.

"Can I do my own hair?" she asks, and they hesitantly let her, watching as she stands in front of the mirror clumsily imitating the braid that Prim did for her at the reaping.

"Let's call in Cinna now," Seph says excitedly.

The trio hurries out of the room, and a few minutes later, a middle-aged man enters the room. Posy recognizes him immediately. He's been the stylist for District 12 for around seven years, and everything he's done has always been a bit out of the ordinary, but still keeping in theme with the whole coal miners' get up. Posy notices that he hasn't made any drastic changes to his features, nor is he wearing obnoxiously bright clothes. Everything about him is completely normal, except that he's wearing gold eyeliner, which actually looks good.

"Hello, Posy," he says warmly, his voice quiet. His accent is slight, and she has no problem understanding him. "Just give me a moment."

He circles Posy and takes in her body, his gaze practical and not lingering anywhere. When he's done, he hands her her robe, and she slips it on.

"You did your hair yourself, did you?" he asks kindly. Posy smiles sheepishly.

"Yeah."

"I think it's beautiful, actually, if you just center it the right way and neaten it up. Who taught you?"

"My sister," Posy says automatically, and corrects herself quickly. "Er, my sister-in-law." The title feels strange in connection with Prim. It's much too formal when Prim's like her actual sibling and not just someone bound to her by papers.

"Your brother's married?" Cinna asks, trying not to sound surprised. Posy laughes.

"No, Vick's definitely not married. My oldest brother is," she replies. Cinna smiles back at her, and Posy decides she likes him.

* * *

"Isn't your haul a bit small for this season?" Katniss asks, staring at the four rabbits and three squirrels laying on the countertop. It's still early in the morning, and everyone is fast asleep.

"It was just a slow day," Gale says easily, moving past her and taking out a knife to skin the animals.

"Oh, sure," Katniss huffs. "Haven't you seen Vick's haul the past few weeks?"

"Maybe it's just a slow month."

Katniss grabs Gale's arm, making him to come face-to-face with her. "Tell me that there's nothing going on with the woods."

Gale looks her in the eye and says, "There's nothing wrong, Katniss."

But they never could lie to each other, and Katniss turns away, quietly selecting the squirrel they'll be cooking for lunch. She hands it to Gale and he starts skinning it.

"What do you think's the matter?" she asks, trying not to look at the squirrel.

Gale sighes. "I honestly don't know." He finishes up and washes his hands and the knife. Katniss stares at him, her arms crossed. Gale leans in and kisses her briefly, and Katniss's face still flushes with color, even after all these years.

"I'll find out what's going on somehow, alright? Don't worry yourself."

* * *

"Cinna has something marvelous planned for you two."

Vick looks across the table at his stylist, Maeda, a young, slender woman with tightly curled magenta hair. She's probably only been around for a few years, stuck with District 12. Vick shifts in his seat, wearing nothing but a robe. His skin is still tingling from all of the scrubbing his prep team did.

"Marvelous?" Vick asks, taking a bite of the orange chicken on his plate. It's amazingly good, and he downs his portion quickly.

"He said he's been saving this design for two tributes who would be worth using it on. I guess he's decided you and your sister are special," Maeda says. "Not that I'd disagree."

"Oh. Uh, thanks," Vick says, not sure what else to say.

Maeda goes right on, barely hearing him. "The coal miners' thing is obviously completely overdone now." Vick wants to interject with a loud _well, no shit,_ but keeps quiet. "So you're going to be the coal itself."

"What?" Vick asks. He automatically thinks naked and covered in coal dust and desperately hopes that is not the plan.

"Don't worry, it won't be like that year when the stylists went for the nude look," Maeda says, reading his thoughts. She leans in closer. "How do you feel about fire?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

_Like shining oil this night is dripping down, stars are slipping down, glistening. _

_I'll Be Gone, Linkin Park_

* * *

Vick easily lifts Posy's small frame onto the chariot, the stylists carefully arranging her trailing cape behind her. The two siblings' outfits are completely matching, with the exception of the rather simple tiara on Posy's head, and the coordinating crown on Vick's. Vick had refused to wear the jewel-adorned thing until the alternative, an obnoxious-looking headpiece built entirely out of streamers, was shown. He doesn't like the crown (as if they're some sort of kings and queens in the Capitol), and he doesn't like the way Posy's unitard clings to her like a second skin, but he keeps his objections to himself and silently watches Maeda arrange the fabric around his feet.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Vick asks, the question he's repeated enough times to annoy everyone thoroughly.

Cinna ignores Maeda's sigh. "We've tested the flame more than enough times, Vick. I assure you that it's completely safe," he answers patiently.

Vick nods once in reply, worrying for Posy anyway.

The stylists had explained beforehand that there's a small device sewn into the hems of their capes. The device is supposed to create an artificial spark about a third of the way through the parade, lighting their costumes in an (artificial) inferno.

All-too-soon, the stylists are backing away from the chariot and Vick looks forward to see the giant double doors at the edge of the room slowly edging open. Cheering and clapping slowly filter in until the noise reaches a din. A booming voice coming from outside introduces District 1, and their chariot starts rolling out. The cheering spikes and screaming follows. Vick imagines all six family members gathered around the television in Gale's house (it's a tad newer than the one kept at their own home). They'll be watching, waiting.

"Remember, chins up, and smile!" Maeda shouts at them. Cinna gives them a small smile.

Posy lets out a small, "Oh", as their chariot is tugged forward by coal-black horses. Vick grabs her hand to steady her.

"Be careful, Pose, alright?" he says, smiling for her sake. Posy pales a little underneath her make-up.

"Alright," she says.

_"District 11!" _

The announcer's voice is louder and closer.

_"District 12!" _

Vick wishes he had time to brace himself for the sudden overwhelming amount of noise and color. Cheering bounces around in his head and his surroundings seem to be a mass of mismatched colors and patterns. He forces himself to wave to the people that are going to watch him suffer on live television, somehow managing a smile here and there.

* * *

Katniss sits on the couch out of everyone's insistence that _she _should be comfortable because _she's _the one who's carrying a baby. She wants to argue that she was just fine sitting on the floor before the baby, but she feels horrible and queasy and she's already been through almost five months of everyone's coddling, so she plops down next to Gale wordlessly, clinging to him and allowing him to drape his arm around her.

"Feeling okay?" he whispers into her hair.

She makes a noise that's leaning more towards no, letting her head fall against his chest. Despite knowing that the opening ceremonies are going to start any minute now, her turning stomach wins over her clouded brain and she drifts off to sleep.

"It's them, Catnip," Gale says stonily, nudging her awake a few minutes later. She straightens up with a start, eyes searching the small screen in front of them.

"It looks like they've finally ditched the coal miner's get-up," Prim says lightly from somewhere off to her right.

The cameras don't linger on Vick and Posy for too long, because they're District 12, but Katniss sees enough to assure herself that they're in one piece for now. And instead of the usual costumes, they're wearing simple black bodysuits and flowing capes, crowns perched on their heads. Maybe this new look will help them.

What did she expect to see?

The commentators in the background are marveling at District 1 and 2's costumes, as always, talking about the quality of the fabric they've used and how the colors harmonize. This year, though, they also seem to be taken by surprise by District 12, saying that for once their costumes seem to have impressed the crowds.

"Quite the lookers, aren't they?" one of the two anchors says to the other.

"As if Posy and Vick are some pretty things to analyze," Gale mutters, his jaw clenching.

Bright music and chatter continue to pour out of the TV, filling Katniss's ears and making her head swim. She tries to focus on the screen in vain, closing her eyes after a few moments to help settle her somersaulting insides.

"God, I think they've freaking set them on fire."

* * *

Posy hears a little pop well into the parade, and she glances back, not being able to help herself, to see her cape slowly being devoured in flames. She braces herself for the burning sensation when the fire licks at a sliver of exposed skin on her heels, but it never comes. She's surprised to find that it actually tickles, and smiles broadly while trying to suppress nervous laughter.

The crowd around them screams and leans as far away as the tightly packed conditions allow them too, making it look as if the fire has some force that repels them. They realize belatedly that the fire isn't going to eat them alive and the cheering resumes, louder this time. The cameras that were previously trained on the richer districts now swing towards them, and Posy looks around to see her own image being projected on the screens. She continues to smile and wave, playing the role of the pretty little innocent girl she's supposed to be.

"Guess they weren't crazy after all, Pose," Vick shouts, and she can barely catch what he's saying.

The commentators sound mildly alarmed as they talk about this latest development. Posy catches the words 'amazing' and 'genius' and soon can't hear anything at all except for the deafening screams coming her way. She hears her name and Vick's being chanted as people scramble to look them up in their programs. The flames have now climbed along the way up to the nape of her neck, and the tickling sensation is stronger than ever and she lets out a giggle by accident, causing the Capitol people to cheer even more at the_ adorable _act.

Posy's stomach drops as she's suddenly lifted into the air.

"Try to balance yourself on my shoulders," Vick says to her, lifting her even higher. She swings her legs around his neck, steadying herself until she can raise both hands to wave. The crowd's reaction is immediate, and flowers come floating towards them, one of which Posy manages to catch and clutches in her hand.

* * *

"Amazing," Prim breathes, once everyone's realized that Vick and Posy aren't actually burning.

"Should rake in at least a few sponsors," Gale says, his tone neutral.

The bright flames and _seeing_ Vick and Posy on the Capitol screens, engulfed in flames (however harmless they may be), triggers something in Katniss, and she abruptly gets up and walks as calmly as she can out of the room and towards the nearest sink, Gale right on her heels.

* * *

The chariots all slow down once they reach the City Circle, stopping and lining up in a perfect arch. President Snow steps out of his mansion and onto his balcony, raising a wrinkled hand to greet everyone and quiet them at the same time so that he can officially welcome all of the tributes.

He says a few pretty lines about how the tributes are all so-very-special and are guests in the city, and ends his little speech with a nearly monotone, "Welcome, tributes of the 81st Annual Hunger Games."

The crowd applauds him loudly.

As the chariots move back towards the Training Center, most of the cameras train solely on Vick and Posy, whose costumes are now not burning, but glowing like hot coals. Light dances across their faces, highlighting them. Vick tries not to notice how most of cheering seems to be _his name_ coming from the mouths of the freakishly colored women. He's always known that he's inherited the same looks Gale has, but has ever been one to take advantage of them like Gale used to (at least before Katniss).

Vick catches a rose that comes towards him, barely touching his lips to the petals before letting it drift back into the crowd.

The sea of people extends all the way to the entrance of the Training Center so that noise follows the tributes all the way to the end. Once District 12's chariot is inside the Training Center, the doors at the entrance start to slide closed, effectively shutting out the outside world. Voices bounce around in Vick's head anyway, his own name echoing a million times in his ears.

"You were marvelous!"

Maeda walks towards the chariot with Cinna, followed by the prep teams. Maeda's holding some sort of extinguisher in her hand, which she uses to spray foam over Vick and Posy's capes. All of the glowing embers fizz out, only leaving the now-ruined black fabric.

The prep teams all talk over each other, babbling out praise as they help Vick and Posy get off the chariot.

"Absolutely amazing!"

"People were talking all about you!"

Vick and Posy smile and say thanks, Vick noting the dirty looks other tributes shoot at them. He ignores them.

They've literally outshone the others.

* * *

**(A/N) Sorry for the incredibly late update. Things have been busy these days. **

**Just as a little side thing, I was wondering if you guys could take a guess at my age, based on my writing. **


End file.
